


Safe Haven

by FiveEyes



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Awesome Pirate Women Kicking Copious Amount Of Ass, Character Death, Epic Sea Battles, F/F, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Magic, Period-Typical Racism, Slavery, The Diamond Authority - Freeform, Violence, the fantasy pirate au nobody asked for but i'm gonna subject your eyeballs to it anyway
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-28
Updated: 2017-10-09
Packaged: 2019-01-06 12:26:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12211272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiveEyes/pseuds/FiveEyes
Summary: The pain faded away almost instantly, replaced with a warm tingling Pearl hadn't felt in so, so long. She watched silently as the cut closed like the blossom of a daisy in a cold winter night. Steven beamed up at her."See?" he whispered, "Magic."And Pearl could hold back the sobs no longer.In a world where the last handful of surviving mages are being hunted down by the ruthless Diamond Authority, Pearl has sworn to protect the young boy Steven, son of the insurgent mage Rose Quartz. But as his powers grow, and the Diamond Authority catches wind of a mage being hidden away in a small seaside town on the coast of Delmarva, their only option to escape is to stow away on the next ship leaving the port - not knowing that it is the ship of Captain Garnet and her ragtag band of marauding women.





	1. Talking to the Trees

**Author's Note:**

> Sit tight, folks, this is going to be a long one. Updates will probably take a longer time, but will at least be pretty regular, and I will still churn out oneshots or shorter fanfics inbetween chapters.

Steven was a peculiar boy, Pearl was aware of that. And there was nothing wrong with it, because aside from a few quirks, Steven was the most mild mannered, excitable, friendly and outgoing boy Pearl knew. Not that she had expected anything else, given that his mother was the woman she would have happily given her life for, the woman who had been her everything, the woman that she loved...had loved. She cursed herself for always comparing the boy to his mother, a person who's footsteps were much too large to fill for anyone else, who had left a hole in her life that was impossible to fill and that she could still feel burning in her heart with every single breath she took, but she couldn't help it. In the gleaming of his eyes she saw _hers_ , his kindness to others reminded him of  _her_ never-ending well of patience and understanding, he was undeniably Rose's son. So it was only natural that Steven was anything but ordinary, and Pearl steadily had to remind herself that despite all that he shared with his mother, he was still a normal boy.

It was only normal that boys his age talked to animals, Pearl had even observed adults talking to their dogs or throwing insults at stray cats. And of course a boy with his imagination would pretend that they answered back. Or perhaps, Pearl thought with a pang of guilt, perhaps he was just lonely, because he had never had a friend his age, or any confidante aside from Pearl for that matter. It broke her heart to forbid him from playing with the other children down in the town, but it was only for his own safety. She couldn't begin to imagine what would happen if Steven let slip that Rose Quartz was his mother, not with the Diamond Authority having their eyes and ears everywhere. So she just smiled and played along when he had pretend conversations with the crow that always came by in the morning in search for unattended food at the breakfast table on the terrace, and shooed it away when he wasn't looking.

She also chalked it up to loneliness and Steven's active imagination that he had developed some other rather odd habits. On a warm summer evening, Pearl hadn't been able to find the boy anywhere in the house, and panic, ice cold panic had immediately flooded every fibre of her being: Had he gotten lost on the way to the butcher's? Had he been taken by a member of the Diamond Authority? How she had cursed herself for letting Steven go down into town alone, ten years was far too young to be on his own in this dangerous world. But then she had found him, sitting cross-legged in  _her_ orchard, staring at nothing. "Steven, what are you doing, come back inside immediately!", she had shouted, and regretted her outburst instantly. 

"But Pearl, I'm having a talk right now", Steven had moaned.

"With whom? The trees?", Pearl had asked, and wished she hadn't.

"Yes, Pearl. Did you know that my mother used to talk to them, too? They just told me!"

Of course she did. She couldn't begin to estimate all the time she had spent with his mother, relaxing in the shade of the trees, as she told her stories of what these trees had seen.

She sent Steven straight to bed and cried into her pillow that night.

Steven was a peculiar boy, but all his quirks were just that - quirks. He was extraordinary, sure, he reminded her a lot of _her_ , but there was no way he had inherited her gift as well. He wasn't a mage, and Pearl had to believe it with all her heart. He would be able to live in peace, isolated perhaps, but without the constant threat of being found out and hanged for the crime of being born different. Pearl had to believe it, she had to. Until she couldn't anymore.

Steven often asked questions about his mother, and Pearl tried to answer them whenever she could. There were still days the mere mentioning of her name could bring back that familiar burning sensation in her throat, that urge to scream and cry and wail until Judgement Day arrived, or that empty, hollow feeling in her chest that made her want to hide in her room, lock the door and throw away the key. But it got better. Talking with Steven seemed to help. He never pushed for information, was always so understanding whenever she just couldn't think about it now (just like _her_ ), and even though she hadn't wanted to admit it at first, his hugs made her feel at home. She didn't realize what a great mistake she had made in filling him in until his 14th birthday.

It was all her fault the knife slipped. Pearl was especially unstable on Steven's birthdays, her entire being seemingly thrown around by her conflicting emotions like a tiny dinghy in a storm. She was elated, of course, to see Steven so happy, so excited at what the next year of his life might bring. He was always so optimistic, and his smiles were contagious. But at the same time, exactly 15 years ago, she had left this world at the same time that Steven entered it. It had only taken one moment, one moment in which she looked into Steven's gleaming eyes, brighter than every star she'd ever seen, and she was back with her again, watching the sunset from the cottage, wrapped in her arms, slowly falling asleep in her warm, soft embrace - then, a sudden sting of pain. Reflexively, she sucked the burning finger into her mouth and tasted blood immediately. 

"Pearl!" came Steven's worried cry. "Are you alright?"

She took the finger out of her mouth and studied it. There was a cut there, about two centimeters long, and not very deep. It would probably sting for a few days, but Pearl had lived through much, much worse.

"Don't worry, Steven. It's just a tiny cut, it will heal fast."

"Actually..." Steven began with the smile, half-bashful and half filled with anticipation, that always preceded one of his ideas that always seemed to end in disaster, and yet somehow always managed to be absolutely worth it. "Actually I wanted to show you something. I discovered it when I got stung by a bee today. Give me your hand", he said.

"You were what?", Pearl gasped. 

"Nuh-uh, first the hand, then my incredible bee story", Steven said, and Pearl obliged. If he hadn't developed an allergic reaction until now, it was unlikely one would occur later, and she had taught Steven to always remove the stinger. She extended her slender hand and Steven carefully took it in his own. In hindsight, Pearl didn't know what she had expected, but it definitely hadn't been that. Maybe she had thought that Steven would try to kiss it better, like she had used to when Steven was still an accident-prone toddler. What she didn't expect was Steven popping a finger in his mouth, coating it with saliva, and smearing it on the cut. Pearl recoiled, revolted.

"Steven, what on earth-"

The scolding died in her throat.

The pain faded away almost instantly, replaced with a warm tingling Pearl hadn't felt in so, so long. She watched silently as the cut closed like the blossom of a daisy in a cold winter night. Steven beamed up at her. 

"See?" he whispered, "Magic."

And Pearl could hold back the sobs no longer. Steven, bless him, immediately put the blame on himself. 

"Oh no, I'm sorry, did I do it wrong? Does it hurt? Pearl, please talk to me!"

But Pearl could do nothing but wail, and smother him in an embrace, press him close to her, her Steven, her poor Steven...

 

She didn't know how much time had passed, but a while later Pearl's tears had subsided, and they were sitting on Steven's bed. 

"I'm sorry, Pearl", he murmured quietly, while rubbing soothing circles into her back.

"No! No, Steven, you did nothing wrong. It is me who should apologize for letting myself go like this. I'm so sorry I scared you", she said, her voice hoarse from crying.

"There's nothing wrong with crying, Pearl, but will you please tell me what upset you? If you don't like it, I won't do magic anymore when you're around, I just wanted to be a healer like my mom! I thought it was a good thing", Steven said.

"No, Steven, what you did was a very good thing, and your mother would be very proud of you. But I told you how some people were afraid of magic, haven't I?" she said.

"Yes, Pearl.", he answered.

"The most dangerous of them is the Diamond Authority, the same people that were after your mother. And if anyone finds out about your powers, they might be after you, too, and I swore an oath to your mother to protect you from harm. I can't let them take you, Steven, and that's why I was so upset. I'm afraid for you, Steven, so afraid that something might happen. Nobody can ever know about your gift, do you understand me?", Pearl said. Without having realized it, her fingers had clawed into his shirt.

"But it doesn't make any sense! My magic is nothing to be afraid of! I can talk to animals, but I can't sick them on people or anything, they just do whatever they want, and sometimes they want to talk to me. And I heal people, I don't hurt them!", he exclaimed.

"I know, Steven", Pearl sighed. "But that's just the way the world is today."

"Then we have to change that!", Steven insisted.

For a moment, Pearl wanted to break down in tears again. But instead, she just gave him a tired smile, and said: "That's exactly what your mother said."

She tucked him into bed and kissed his head, then she wished him good night. It would be the last good night any of them had for a long time.

 


	2. The Rising Tide

"Rose…“, Pearl sighed, her fingertips ghosting over the frame of her portrait. "I don’t know what to do, Rose.“ 

She rested her forehead against the cold metal. She knew she had to look ridiculous, talking to the painting of Steven’s mother that hung over the kitchen table, as if it was keeping watch over her, but in a strange way, it was comforting. The artist had managed to capture not only Rose’s exact likeness, but also her expression, her entire being encapsulated in the soft strokes of a brush. Her eyes closed, a blissful smile on her plump lips, her rich, flowing locks splayed out behind her, radiating peace and calm. Sometimes, Pearl even thought it still smelled of her, like strawberries and wildflowers, and for a moment she could almost feel Rose’s arms around her again, and they felt safe, they felt like home, and she heard Rose talking to her in a soft voice that Pearl had thought was reserved for her and only her.

She made sure Steven never saw her like this, this pathetic, sniveling version of her. She was supposed to be his protector, for heaven’s sake! But now, with Steven on his way into town to run a few errands, she allowed herself this moments of weakness. Steven, her Steven, a mage…

Gifted. That was what Rose used to call it. Steven had been gifted. And Pearl could shield the boy from harm, hide him from prying eyes, but take on the combined forces of the Diamonds? She might as well try to douse the sun. 

She could feel the tears burning in her eyes, and blinked them away furiously, even tough Rose had always scolded her for doing so.

_Don’t hold back. Tears are never a sign of weakness. They are a sign of emotion. And emotions show you that you’re alive, so beautifully alive and human. Hold on to that feeling, never let it go._

She exhaled a shaky breath and watched as the glass protecting the portrait clouded over. Guilt flashed inside her as she noticed the fingerprints she’d left all over the portrait. She would have to clean it before Steven came home, but he shouldn’t be here for another hour or so…

A sudden, frantic pounding on the door made Pearl jump, and before she could steady herself, she felt the portrait slip out of her hands. Her blood ran cold as she watched it fall, and then, with the horrible _crack_ of splintering glass it made impact with the floor. Horrified, she covered her mouth with her hands.

"Rose…“

She kneeled down next to the portrait which lay upside down on the floor, turning it over with trembling hands, and while she should have been prepared for what she saw, and still she couldn’t prevent the horrified gasp escaping her lips. The glass was shattered, a gash stretched over the paper like a slice wound. Broken. Shattered. Ruined.

Her fault.

The pounding on the door grew louder, and she registered a voice shouting, muffled, as if it was coming from underwater: "Pearl, it’s me, Steven! Open the door, please! Something terrible happened, but I didn’t mean to do it, I swear!“

Her damn fault. She deserved this. It was her fault, her fault, her fault…

"Pearl! Please let me in! I understand if you’re mad, but I need to talk to you!“

She felt lightheaded. She knew something was wrong, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from what had once been the beautiful, perfect painting of Rose Quartz. Slowly, as if under a trance, she turned around and headed over to the door. 

Turn bolt.

Unlock.

Open.

Steven.

As soon as the door opened, Steven came storming in, wrapping his arms around her. Pearl was tall, and Steven had yet to hit his adolescent growth spurt, therefore he barely reached up to her chest. The sudden contact made Pearl jolt, and it tore her back into the here and now. It was like breaching the water surface after almost drowning: Everything hurt and was raw, sensations came flooding back to her, but she was alive, and she could finally breathe. Pearl had only managed to catch a glimpse of Steven’s face, it had been smeared with tears, his eyes wide with panic. The mere memory awoke every protective instinct in her. She gently pushed the boy back and kneeled down to be eye to eye with him.

"Steven. You need to calm down. Can you do that? Take a deep breath.“

Steven did as he was told, and even though he was pale as a ghost and still shaking, he managed to compose himself enough to look Pearl in the eye.

"Well done, Steven. Now tell me what happened.“

"Pearl, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do it, but-“

"From the beginning, Steven“, Pearl chided gently.

"Yes, alright.“ He hiccuped. "I went into town to get cheese and milk from the farmers’ market, like you asked me too. But when I arrived there, there were all these people gathered in one spot and they all looked really worried, so I went to see what was wrong. And there was a man lying in the street who had fallen into the road and was run over by a carriage, and there was so much blood everywhere…“ 

Steven’s voice tapered off, and he buried his face in his hands.

"And what happened next?“ Pearl asked quietly, even though she already knew. Steven was Rose’s son after all. There was no way he could just watch a fellow human being suffer.

"I went over to him…and I…I healed him“ he whispered.

"I thought he would be glad. I didn’t know it would scare him that much. But when I was done, he said- he said a lot of terrible things to me, and the crowd shouted at me, and I didn’t know what to do so I ran away-“ he was in hysterics again, choking back sobs. Pearl tried her best to fight back the tears herself, _not now_ , she told herself, _Steven needs you_.

"Pearl, I’m so sorry, I know I promised to keep it a secret, but I just couldn’t leave him there-“

"Steven. Listen to me“, Pearl said, trying to banish any tremors from her voice. She placed a slender hand on Steven's shoulder.

"None of this is your fault. You tried to help, you are not to blame. But that doesn’t matter right now. If you were seen practicing magic, especially if there were multiple witnesses, it’ highly likely that the Diamond Authority is already informed, and you are in grave danger. I want you to run upstairs to your room and pack everything you need in a bag, I’ll meet you outside in five minutes.“

"We’re leaving?“, Steven asked, incredulous, as the weight of the situation seemed to collapse on him in one go. 

"We can’t stay here anymore, not with the Diamond Authority aware of your existence. They won’t leave a stone unturned until they find you.“

"But this is were my mother lived - we can’t leave her house behind, and her orchard, and the crow, and-“ 

A strangled sound escaped Pearl’s throat, as she, too, realized that she would never see this house again, never wander in the shadow of her apple trees, trees of a size and fruitfulness she had never seen before anywhere else.

_Love. Love and time. That’s the secret ingredient for everything that grows._

"I’ll go upstairs“, Steven whispered, and Pearl watched him as he made his way to the stairs, but stopped in his tracks as the destroyed portrait of his mother caught his eyes.

"Pearl, wha-“ he began, but only one glance at Pearls expression made him reconsider and resume his way up the stairs. Tears blurred the edge of Pearl’s vision, threatening to spill over any second. She would have to leave Rose behind. In the safe familiarity of the cottage is had been easy to pretend that Rose was just in the next chamber, outside tending to her plants, or simply on an extended hike. Pearl had felt her warmth in the blankets she wrapped herself up in in cold winter nights, she heard her voice in every creak of the floorboards, her smell seemed to linger in the old house still. And now, after all these years of pretending, she would have to leave every shred of comfort behind. A part of her didn’t want to leave at all, would rather wait in this exact same spot for the Diamond Authority’s soldiers to arrive, as a captain would rather go down with his ship than leave everything he ever knew behind. A muffled crash sounded down from upstairs. Steven. Steven! She couldn’t give into this illogical, sentimental desire, not when she still had the duty to protect him! She balled her hands into fists, bit her lip to stop its trembling, its pathetic trembling, and walked over to her own room.

As always, everything in her chamber had its place, it was so orderly that an observer would never have guessed it was inhabited at all, there were non of the telltale signs of a room that was occupied. She headed straight towards the old trunk in the far corner of the room, as she opened it the joints squeaked with disuse. And there it lay, safely wrapped in dark satin: Her sword. A colichemarde, to be precise, forged with Pearl’s light stature and fluid style of fighting in mind. Absentmindedly, she ran the tip of her index finger along the edge of the blade, with just enough pressure to feel it’s sharpness without actually puncturing her skin. It was as sharp as it had been on the day Rose had presented it to her. The silver of the handle had gone cloudy with age, and Pearl counted several small dents and imperfections on the blade itself, but she knew that it was as deadly as on its first day. 

Pearl dressed herself in a plain dress with gritted teeth, since she preferred wearing men’s trousers by far for the superior flexibility they allowed for. But with the Diamond Authority already in alarm, she did not want to risk attracting any kind of attention. The dared to leave out the corset, because if a confrontation couldn’t be avoided, the constricting piece of clothing would leave her a t a severe disadvantage. The stares and the whispering she would be able to bear, since they would never be able to return. She concealed her sword under a long cloak, surely a hindrance if she had to draw it quickly, but the alternative was not taking it with her at all, and Pearl would rather leave one of her legs behind than her trusted colichemarde. She collected all the money she had managed to make selling honey and fruit, which amounted to a little over 26 dollars, certainly not enough to book passage on a ship.

She stepped outside, and it was a disgustingly beautiful day. The breeze was coming from the east, from over the sea, bringing with it the wild smell of salt and seaweed, repelling the odors of the town below. Large, white clouds dragged themselves lazily across a sky of clearest blue, and a friendly August sun seemed to make the scenery glow in golden hues. On days like these Rose would have taken her out for a stroll through the meadows. They never followed any path, because Rose insisted that the most wonderful things are only found off the beaten track. Granted, they had never gotten very far in their explorations, because Rose would always stop whenever they came across any animal, brook or young tree. She had been able to spend hours marveling over bird nests or ant colonies, and Pearl would have been most content with marveling over Rose for the rest of her life. She’d always assumed she’d be the one to die first.

She only noticed that Steven had arrived when he carefully touched the small of her back in a comforting gesture. His face was downcast and even though it was hidden by a hood, guilt and sorrow clearly displayed on his features. Steven had always worn his heart on his sleeve. 

"Let’s go, Steven. Maybe we can find a ship in the port that will take us out of the Diamond Authority’s reach.“

Steven nodded, and they silently made their way towards the town.

They avoided the main roads, and stuck to darker alleyways, filled with mangy dogs, dirty children and various nauseating smells. And the whispers seemed to follow them wherever they went.

 

"That’s her, the woman from the cottage on the cliffs!“

 

"What’s she doing 'ere, I thought she almost never left her house?“

 

"Mother says not to go near her. She’s not normal, is what she says. She says she likes to wear men’s clothing and she lives all on her own with a child, there’s something wrong with that, surely.“

 

"Hey, the boy fits the description of the child the sniffers are looking for, doesn’t he?“

 

At this, Pearl quickened her steps. Sniffers, sniffer dogs, that was the nickname the general public had given the Diamond Authority.

 

"Shouldn’t we tell 'em, then? Maybe they’ll give us a reward!“

 

"Are you crazy? Do you want to have the sniffers question you, too? Those who go in there don’t come out right, I tell you!“

 

Pearl could already hear the creaking of the old ships lying in wait in the port, when their good luck ran out.

"Hey! Hey ma’am! Stop right there, Diamond Authority’s orders!“

Pearl froze in her tracks and turned around. They had been stopped by a young man, twenty at most, with shaggy red hair that hadn’t seen a comb in a week. Judging by his uniform he was a soldier from the fort nearby. So the Diamond Authority had already pulled every single register to find one mage. Pearl forced herself to smile. 

"Is there a problem, Sir?“

„"s there a problem? We’re looking for a rampant mage, how the hell have you not noticed?“

The soldier glanced at Steven, then continued: "Description goes as follows: Young boy, rather stout, unruly black hair. Now, what I’m wondering is: Why would your boy hide his face under a hood on a bright hot summer day as today?“

The man took a few steps closer, but Pearl did notice that his steps seemed tentative, a bit awkward even. His uniform was a tad ill-fitting, his shoes had to be several sizes to big if he had to balance each of his steps to this extent. 

"His skin is very sensitive and can’t be exposed to direct sunlight“, Pearl fibbed, primarily to win time.

"I’m sure it is“, the man said, coming still closer. Automatically, Pearl’s right hand moved toward her left side, where she could feel the handle off her sword concealed by her coat. It would be easy. The soldier would only have to take a few steps forward, and she could, with a single, well aimed thrust of her blade, pierce his lung and heart before he would even have the chance to scream. But she couldn’t, not in front of Steven. The soldier was barely older than a boy, he wouldn’t even stand a chance, and Steven…what would he think of her? He would believe her to be a cold blooded murderer, surely. So she let the soldier approach.

"So you surely don’t mind if I take a look under - _agh_!“

He never got to finish that sentence, because Pearl’s fist, as swift as a viper’s bite, had surged forward, directly into his throat, and left him hunched over, retching, coughing, struggling for air. Pearl didn’t waste any time, a wide sweep of her foot against his shin should be enough to throw him of his already impaired balance. But with the sound of ripping fabric she was reminded that her dress would not allow for such maneuvers, and just as she tried to steady herself, the soldier lunged at her, arms outstretched, not even considering drawing his sword. Pearl dodged his attack with a simple step to the side, and as the man charged past her, she managed to grab hold of his upper arm, instantly twisting it behind his back with cold precision and pressing her free hand over his mouth to muffle his pained yell. With only a small shifting of her weight, she forced him down to his knees, and kicked him in the temple. The man went down with a groan, lying face down in the dirt.

Steven gaped at her, his eyes as wide as saucers. "Pearl…“, he began, but didn’t quite know what else to say, so he left it at that.

"He’ll be fine, Steven.“ Pearl was quick to say. "He’s just out of commission, and he will probably have quite the headache for a few days.“

"Pearl“, Steven tried again, "I never knew you could do that!“

Pearl felt heat rise to her cheeks.

"Oh, well…your mother taught me a lot of things“, she said, before realizing that they were still standing in the middle of the street, over the body of a concussed soldier, while the entire town was searching for them. She pressed on toward the haven, the tang of seaweed, seagull droppings and dead fish already filling her nose. They turned a corner, and there it lay: The port. If compared to the many ports in the many cities she had visited in her lifetime, this one was small, tiny, downright shabby. Three ships lay at anchor, and while Pearl was no expert on marine travel in any way, she recognized the flag hissed on two of them: Three triangles, a white one on top of two others, the left one yellow and the right one blue, forming a small black triangle where they overlapped.  The new Diamond Authority. Pearl doubted she’d ever get used to the new symbol. Of course it would have been to much to ask for an independent ship to arrive at the port just as they needed a way to escape from the Diamond Authority. Maybe they could stow away until they reached the next haven, and try to find a merchant from the few regions of east Africa or north Asia that weren’t yet under the command of the Diamond Authority…

"Pearl, look! This one doesn’t have the Authority symbol on it!“

Pearl whirled around, and indeed: at the far end of the port, there was a ship, smaller and sleeker than the other two, the flag mast empty of any distinction as to who this ship belonged to. This would have to do.

"Come on, Steven - and keep your head low!“ Pearl hissed, as she grabbed the boy by the arm and dragged him over to the unavowed ship, avoiding a handful of soldiers questioning bystanders by sheer chance. They were almost upon the ship, when Pearl saw the soldier, involved in a discussion with a woman - and what a woman it was. Pearl was quite tall, the soldier even taller, and the dark-skinned woman he was talking had yet found a way to dwarf even him. Her black hair was splayed in a halo of curls around her head.

"There are no new arrivals scheduled for today, you’re not sailing under the flag of the Diamond Authority, and you sure as hell don’t have a trading permit“, the man growled, his voice sounding hoarse as if he spoke through a mouth full of gravel. "Your captain needs to answer some questions.“

"I  _am_ the captain“, the woman replied, her voice perfectly calm, but an air of authority accompanied every syllable. Pearl didn’t doubt her word for a second.

"You expect me to believe that, girl?“ , the man drawled. „You expect me to believe that somebody would make someone like _you_ “ he spat out the word like chewing tobacco, "captain of a ship?“

"No“, the captain replied bluntly.

"Listen, I don’t have all day for your games. I need to know the name of the ship, country of origin, and cargo, and then I need you to leave. We have a mage on the run, we can’t afford another slip-up.

"The name is _Rising Tide_ , bringing spices from Hwacha“, the captain stated, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

Pearl frowned. Hwacha wasn’t a spice trade country. In fact, Hwacha wasn’t a country at all. It was siege weapon created in the Asian land of Korea, devastating over long distances, but costly and it took ages to reload. What was this woman trying to do?

"Spices? I believe that when I see it. You really think I don’t know that spice traders are accompanied by at least one companionship, to protect them from pirates and the Deep Reaches?“

"Then come take a look at it“, the captain said, and made an attempt to ascend the landing ramp, but the man grabbed her by the wrist. For a split second, Pearl could see her biceps twitching, as if she was preparing to strike, but her face remained unmoved and passive.

"I’m not following you anywhere, girly, you can bring me a sample of your spices“, the soldier said.

"Can’t.“

"And why’s that, pray tell?“

"It explodes under sunlight“, the captain said, once again rubbing her nose.

Pearl almost snorted at that bold claim. She was absolutely positive that the woman was making things up as she went.

"Stop it with the bunk already!“, the man shouted, and for the first time, the captain’s voice seemed to take on a sharper edge, as she said: "Do you want to be responsible if the ship full of priceless spices goes up in flames?“

The soldier made an exasperated grunt. "Fine. But as soon as I’m done here you gather your crew from the alehouse and leave!“ 

He followed her onto the ship.

Pearl looked around. The ship’s position at the far end of the port hid them from any suspicious eyes. The _Rising Tide_ seemed to be completely barren, not counting the two people currently boarding it. Pearl made her decision.

"Quickly, Steven! This may be our chance!“ she whispered, took him by the hand and followed them onto the ship as quietly as she could. Maybe she would be able to bargain with the captain. Maybe, from woman to woman, they could reach an agreement. Maybe everything would be alright again. She watched the soldier and the captain disappear into the belly of the ship.

"What are we going to do now?“ Steven asked in a hushed voice.

"We hide inside the ship until it’s at sea. Then we try to convince the captain not to leave us to the Deep Reaches.“

"You mean we stow away like the No Home Boys?“, Steven asked, referencing his favorite children's story. How Pearl wished she could share his optimism.

"Yes, Steven. Just like the No Home Boys.“

Pearl waited a few seconds with baited breath, until she couldn’t hear the steps anymore, then she followed the two figures. It was dark down there, the only light stemming from the opening Pearl and Steven had just passed, and it stank of sweat and old meat. The air seemed as thick as cold grease. They had barely reached the bottom of the slippery steps when the sound reached Pearl’s ears. It was a quiet sound, and yet it seemed deafening to Pearl. She had heard the sound so many times it had burnt its way into her brain. She had hoped to never have to hear it again:

The metallic scratching of a sword being pulled out of its sheath, and the wet, smooth sound of a blade being thrust into flesh.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks a lot for reading, I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope to see you in the next chapter titled "Captain's Orders". If you have the time, a comment is always appreciated. See you guys soon!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading the first chapter of this wild ride, I hope you'll come back for more, and if you have the time and patience, please consider leaving a comment, it really makes a writers day. In any case, have a great day! The next chapter is going to be called 'The Rising Tide', and finally, the plot will really pick up. And it's going to be longer, too, promise.


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